


Kingmaker

by LizBee



Series: two worlds and in between [2]
Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: F/M, Space Politics, mirror universe shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-05-25 05:50:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14970437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizBee/pseuds/LizBee
Summary: Inquisitor Cornwell tells herself she doesn't miss Gabriel, and sometimes it's true. But the Terran Empire has bigger problems than one woman's emotions -- the traitor Michael Burnham has reclaimed command of theISS Shenzhou. Which is strange, because Kate killed Michael herself. And Michael has a prisoner...





	Kingmaker

She told herself she didn't miss him. Sometimes, she even believed it. 

Truth be told, at first Kate felt L'Rell's absence more keenly. The Klingon girl had been her loyal companion, bodyguard and personal attendant for eight years. Occasionally her spy. And she was content, or so Kate had believed. 

Until Gabriel came along, infecting L'Rell with his degenerate Federation morality. 

God help her, she did miss him. Even if she could only admit it to herself at night, alone in her too-large bed. 

By day, she threw herself into her work. Meetings with her seconds, reports from the political officers she had assigned to every starship and starbase. She had interrogations to oversee and arrests to plan. The business of the Empire didn't stop just because Katrina Cornwell was feeling sorry for herself. 

And if _she_ stopped -- well. Browning might hesitate to assassinate her. Everyone else who served in Imperial Intelligence…

Everyone knew that Inquisitor Cornwell had lost her lover and her most treasured slave in one tragic incident. They were all waiting to see what she would do. If grief would make her vulnerable. 

She had no intention of letting that happen. 

She had been alone for two weeks when Browning reported that the political officer assigned to the _ISS Discovery_ had missed his second check-in. 

"It happens," Kate told her. "Captain Tilly is charismatic, and she has powerful friends. Bryce will be the third political officer to give her his allegiance." She leaned back, calling up a mental picture of her spy network. "Have Bryce reassigned to the _Farragut_. We'll see how Lieutenant Commander Daly likes Captain Tilly."

Browning made a note of it, but asked, "If he's disloyal, why are you letting him live?"

Kate smiled. Browning had a keen mind, and courage enough to ask questions that sounded impertinent. 

"There's a good chance that Captain Tilly will be the next emperor," Kate told her. "I don't want to give her a reason to purge Imperial Intelligence if she comes to power."

"You think the emperor will name Tilly her heir?"

"Let's say, I think Tilly is the most likely candidate. The emperor's very fond of her." 

"Is she capable?"

Kate shrugged. "She's twenty-two. She's young, full of herself and thinks she's invincible. If she makes it to thirty, she'll probably manage." 

They moved on to a report from the re-education camp on Risa, and Kate didn't give _Discovery_ a second thought until late that morning, when she received an urgent recording from the _ISS Shenzhou_ 's political officer.

Detmer's expression was uncharacteristically open. Excited. 

"Inquisitor," she said, "Captain Burnham is alive. And she's captured Lorca."

For a moment, Kate thought she might pass out. Her thoughts ran in a dozen directions at once: _Burnham is dead. Is this an imposter? Or did I fail?_ And, _Gabriel, you fool, you should be at home and safe._ And, _L'Rell, where are you?_

And, behind it all, _Gabriel won't withstand an interrogation. The emperor will know. Everything._ Georgiou had an agoniser all picked out for Kate, just waiting for the day she failed too badly. 

Detmer's message continued. Burnham and Lorca were on the _Discovery_. The _Shenzhou_ was diverting to rendezvous, though Captain Connor had been reluctant.

"He knows Captain Burnham will want her ship back, and the crew will support her," Detmer finished. "I'd remove him myself -- but I don't want to deprive the captain of her fun. I'll update as soon as I have more information. Long live the Empire. Detmer out."

Kate forced herself to breathe. She controlled the flow of information to the emperor. She could manage this. 

She sent an urgent message to Bryce, ordering him to check in at once. An alliance between Tilly and Burnham -- if it _was_ Burnham -- was potentially disastrous. If she was mistaken about Tilly's loyalty to Georgiou--

If, if, if. Kate dismissed her bodyguard, locked her office door and gave orders she was not to be disturbed. Then she sat down to consider the possibilities. 

One, the most likely: she had failed in her attempt to kill Burnham, and the captain had spent the last year and a half in hiding. 

Planning her revenge? Maybe. Kate had taken care that the destruction of Burnham's shuttle couldn't be traced back to her. She had run the operation as a solo mission, and there was no record of her leaving the _Acheron_. The only person who could betray her was L'Rell. 

_Where is L'Rell?_

But if this was the real Burnham, well, that scenario had advantages. The lie Kate had spun for Georgiou turned out to be true, and since Burnham's treachery was unambiguous, any claim that Kate had targeted her would look like a feint. 

Unless she had L'Rell. 

And even if she couldn't produce evidence, there was nothing to stop the emperor deciding it would be expedient to execute Kate regardless. 

Especially if Burnham had interrogated Gabriel. 

The thought made Kate's stomach turn. Gabriel was _hers_ , to break and rebuild and love as she chose. As long as he was in this universe, he was the property of Katrina Cornwell.

Distraction. She had to put him out of her mind. Reduce him from person and lover to a piece on the board, captured by her opponent. 

She turned her mind to other possibilities. 'Burnham' might be an imposter. Maybe even a clone. 

Detmer wasn't so blinded by loyalty to her late captain that she wouldn't double-check Burnham's DNA. And clones required resources to create, grow and indoctrinate. If that was the explanation, Kate would find out easily enough. 

She considered, then rejected, the possibility that this was the Federation's Burnham. The odds were astronomical -- that she would arrive within weeks of Gabriel leaving Kate's custody and then, instead of retrieving him and taking him home, pass herself off as a Terran and reclaim her counterpart's command. The very idea was absurd. 

In Kate's experience, the simplest explanation was usually the true one. The woman standing over her captain holding a bloody knife was an assassin; the man reading a banned book was a dissident; and Michael Burnham was alive and back to reclaim what was hers. 

There was still no word from _Discovery_ when Detmer hailed again, four hours later. Her eyes were bright; she was almost smiling as she said, "Connor's dead. Captain Burnham wasn't onboard for half an hour before she took him down." 

"Efficient as ever," said Kate. "And Lorca?"

"In the agoniser, Inquisitor, where he belongs." 

"How'd he look?"

"I don't think the captain went easy on him, if that's what you mean. He's pretty beat up." 

_Gabriel…_

"As long as she leaves something for the emperor." Kate let the moment hang before she added, "Captain Burnham _has_ apprised the emperor of her return, has she not?"

"No," Detmer admitted. "She's in her ready room, catching up on everything she missed." 

Kate just said, "Mm." 

Detmer had aspirations to command. She couldn't fail to see that she would benefit from Michael's removal. 

"Watch her closely," said Kate. "Keep me updated." She wanted to ask after L'Rell, but Burnham turning up with Cornwell's infamous Klingon slave would have been remarked upon already. She settled for saying, "Long live the Empire," and closing the channel.

Time to break the news to Philippa that her prodigal daughter had returned.

The emperor took it well. She listened carefully and, when Kate had finished her report, said, "And Lorca?"

"In the _Shenzhou_ 's agonisers, your Majesty."

"Good." The emperor gave Kate a look which might have been tender. "It must be difficult to have him resurface so soon after you lost Commander Urquhart."

Did she know? Or were her condolences sincere?

Kate settled for saying, "Thank you, your Majesty. But any resemblance between Charles and his cousin was purely superficial. They're very different men." She paused, realising with surprise that her throat was tight. "Were. Different men."

"When this business with my daughter is resolved," said Georgiou, "you should take some time for yourself. My estates on Rubicon III are open to you. The Edo are the finest pleasure slaves in the quadrant." 

"Your Majesty is too kind." 

"Only to those who are loyal, Katrina. As Michael and Gabriel will discover." 

"What would you have me do, your Majesty?"

"Watch. Wait. See what Michael does next." The emperor's demeanour shifted, becoming businesslike. "In the meantime, I've heard rumours about the whereabouts of the rebel leader who calls himself the Firewolf. Verify them."

Kate bowed.

The alien rebels were not strictly within her jurisdiction, but tracking the Firewolf and his followers down was a welcome distraction from worrying about Gabriel.

"The Firewolf has united eight disparate rebel groups since he emerged three years ago," she told Browning. "He preaches unity among the alien races. Solidarity against Terrans. Common goals for the greater good." 

Gabriel would have approved. She never could persuade him of Terran superiority. It had been ... endearing. Few people had the courage to disagree with her these days. She didn't understand why she enjoyed arguing with him. 

She realised that Browning was giving her a quizzical look. Could probably guess where her thoughts had gone. 

Browning said, "If we kill the Firewolf, will we kill his message?"

"Maybe. But then there's the messenger."

Kate called up an image of a middle-aged Vulcan with a neat goatee.

"This is Sarek of Vulcan," she said. "Formerly consort to Governor Amanda Grayson, and father of her son."

Browning looked repulsed, and Kate couldn't blame her. To use an alien for pleasure was one thing, though Kate herself found the idea distasteful. But to have a child with one -- to taint pure Terran genes--

"I know," she said. "But the son is a loyal Imperial subject. I vetted him personally when he applied to Starfleet."

"Unlike his father."

"Sarek escaped from Vulcan five years ago, along with half a dozen acolytes. He's treated as a sort of prophet."

"Primitive superstition."

"But powerful." 

Kate wondered if the governor of Vulcan had missed Sarek the way she missed Gabriel. It wasn't such a different situation. Federation ideology was alien, and she needed to harden her heart and remember he was an interloper, a foreigner, a danger to the Empire and its way of life. 

And, most of all, a danger to her. Burnham was a skilled interrogator in her own right. Had she broken him already? Or was she letting the _Shenzhou_ 's agonisers soften him up? 

Insufficient information. Kate tapped out another message -- sharper, this time -- to Lieutenant Bryce on the _Discovery_ and forced herself to concentrate on the rebels and the work at hand.

*

Days passed, and Burnham had yet to send her greetings to the emperor. According to Detmer, she spent a great deal of time alone, or secluded away with her personal guard. This was a man named Tyler, a complete nonentity according to Kate's files, but handsome. Young. Not Burnham's type, she'd have thought. 

Burnham also spent a lot of time alone with Gabriel. Personal interrogations, Detmer said. Kate could just imagine. But if he was able to play the role of his counterpart well enough to fool Burnham herself -- well.

Best case scenario, Gabriel would be executed before he broke, and Kate's survival would be guaranteed. Sad, but dead women couldn't grieve.

She offered, when she checked in with the emperor, to have the _Acheron_ swoop in under cloak so she could arrest Burnham herself. It would be easy to arrange a fatal accident for Gabriel while he was in her custody. Served him right, she told herself: he could have escaped, but had diverged from the plan for reasons unknown. And she hadn't given him L'Rell just to get her killed. 

"No," said the emperor. "I want Michael to wipe out the Firewolf and his followers on Harlak. She may not be loyal to _me_ , but she can still serve the Empire one last time." 

There was a terrible hope in Philippa's eyes. She didn't want to kill her daughter. She would put it off for as long as she could. 

Kate obeyed her emperor, as always, but part of her wished she could have supported Lorca and Burnham's coup. Philippa was wavering. Kate had hoped that killing Michael would destroy the emperor's last weakness. Burnham's return from the dead only enhanced it. 

And everyone would see it. She might hold on for another few years, but sooner or later, there'd be the poison in the wine or the knife in the back. 

Kate's job was to ensure that whoever replaced Georgiou was competent. Reasoned. Capable of seeing past their own personal appetites to the greater needs of the Empire. 

An emperor who was predisposed to let her keep her life and job would be nice, too, but the Empire had to come first. 

She lay in bed -- in her empty bed, damn Gabriel for doing this to her -- and considered the possibilities.

Chris Pike. Loyal to Kate; she had given him command of the _Enterprise_ all those years ago. But selfish. And, according to her sources, he was slowing down. Had barely survived the last assassination attempt. Some kid would take his command within a year. 

Senator Paris. A favourite of Georgiou's, but lacked the force of personality to control the Empire. And a ruler drawn from the Imperial Senate would set a dangerous precedent. 

Likewise, she was reluctant to elevate any of the planetary governors or viceroys. Civilian leadership was the last thing the Empire needed.

Sylvia Tilly? She was brilliant and vicious, but Kate hesitated to put the Empire in the hands of someone so young. And if she _was_ allied with Burnham…

Over a solitary breakfast, she considered taking the throne herself. She presently had more allies than enemies, and Imperial Intelligence answered to her. Any captains who didn't welcome her rule could be executed by the political officers within hours of a coup.

And … then what? The tedious minutiae of the Empire. Finding an heir. Ultimate power, sure, but she'd be exposed. Vulnerable. 

_Every Terran wants to be emperor_ , the saying went, but Kate had all the power she needed right now. She worked best from the shadows. 

But … for the good of the Empire?

_Gabriel_ , she thought over lunch. He could play the role of his counterpart. Be her puppet. He had squandered the freedom she'd given him. Their old bargain was void. 

Except. Making him the emperor would give him real power. Her control over him, never complete, would be broken. 

And he'd quickly come to hate her. Which shouldn't affect her decision-making, but… 

_And here you despise the emperor for her weakness. You're just as bad._

Late that afternoon, a message came from the _Charon_ : Captain Burnham had failed to destroy the rebel base on Harlak, and had been summoned to face the emperor in person. She would take the opportunity to present Captain Lorca as her prize, and, if she was sensible, throw herself on her mother's mercy. 

Kate closed her eyes. 

The emperor hailed her a few hours later. 

"She's lying," Georgiou said. "Why does she always lie to me? What does she hope to gain?"

It would be impolitic to say, _I don't know, Pippa, this is why I don't have kids._ Kate just shook her head and looked understanding. 

"What will you do?" she asked instead. 

"We're going to have dinner," said the emperor. "Her final meal." 

_There might be hope for you yet, your Majesty._

"Does she know that?

Georgiou's smile was sad. 

"No," she said. 

"And Lorca?"

"In an agoniser."

"Good." 

"Nothing is good today, Katrina." 

"My condolences, your Majesty. Please update me when … it's over."

"Ghoul," said Georgiou, and for a moment she sounded like the brilliant young officer Kate had attached herself to decades ago. She and Gabriel had competed for Philippa's approval. It had been only fitting that Georgiou would be named the Imperial heir. Or, at least, Kate had thought so. Gabriel … said the right words. He usually did. 

Kate had never liked Lorca. She had predicted his betrayal long before anyone else suspected. 

But Pippa -- she was disappointed in Georgiou. _You'd be a much better emperor if you didn't love your daughter_ , Kate thought. 

She ate in her office, waiting for word of Burnham's execution. When none came by midnight, she sent a message to Captain Maddox, requesting an update. 

Maddox sent no reply. 

Instead, Kate received an urgent hail at 0300 hours. 

"Inquisitor," said the pale, sweating lieutenant commander with a nervous glance over his shoulder, "it's Lorca. He's broken out. Freed his people. No one knows where the emperor is, I think she's dead--"

Kate had just enough time to think, _I was wrong -- I was completely wrong -- I was so fixated on Gabriel, I overlooked the obvious. I've failed the emperor._

And yet, along with the dawning horror, she felt joy. Her Gabriel was alive.

Then the lieutenant commander was vapourised, disintegrating into a red mist, and his murderer sauntered out from the shadows to take his place.

Bright blue eyes gleamed at her from a familiar, unscarred face. Clean-shaven aside from stubble. Thin lips widening into a vulpine smile. 

"Hello, Katie," said Lorca. 

Kate bared her teeth. " _Gabe_. I truly hoped I'd never see you again."

"And yet I hear you took an interest in my family while I was away. I didn't know I had a cousin Charles. I hope the rumours of his death are exaggerated." 

Did he mean that? Did he feel anything for his counterpart? 

Kate said, "I sent him home."

"Kind of you. He can collect my medal. Or attend my court martial. He'll find the Federation's changed a bit since he left. Don't know how happy Admiral Cornwell will be to see our face."

"What did you do to her?"

"More what I didn't do for her. But she'll probably walk again. Eventually." He slung his phaser rifle over his shoulder and gave her a look he probably thought was friendly. "Let's talk business, Katie. I have control of the _Charon_. Pippa's hiding, but I'll flush her out soon enough. I've more or less won."

"'More or less'."

"Make it easy for me. Hold the _Acheron_ off. Give me six hours to consolidate power here, and my first act as emperor will be giving you an imperial pardon."

"For what? Supporting your predecessor? Doing my duty?"

"For killing Michael." The friendly mask evaporated. "The Federation's Burnham is extraordinary, but she's not _mine_. Yet. But I'm willing to let you live. Even keep your job. For the greater good of the empire." 

Kate laughed. "You've spent too much time in the Federation, Gabe. You've gone soft." 

"I'm doing you a favour, Katie. Think about it." 

He cut the channel. 

Kate took a moment to press her hands flat against her desk and breathe. 

Then she hailed the bridge and gave orders for the _Acheron_ to intercept the _Charon_ , under cloak, at maximum warp. 

"Yes, Inquisitor," said the duty officer. "We're four hours away." 

Kate smiled. 

*

Little remained of the _Charon_ when they arrived. Debris. Subspace distortions. Escape pods. 

Kate claimed the captain's chair, for fear someone might see that her legs were shaking. All her worries over Gabriel -- regret about sending L'Rell away -- all her petty, domestic concerns had blinded her to the true danger.

She had failed so badly. 

"Inquisitor?" said Captain Chambers, and she realised he had been addressing her for a minute or so.

She licked her lips. Forced herself to breathe. 

A couple of ships were already on the scene. Kate hailed the _Shenzhou_. 

"Inquisitor." Detmer's voice was rough. "The emperor -- Lorca -- Burnham -- they're all dead. _Discovery_ attacked the _Charon_. No survivors there, either." 

And now the Empire was leaderless and adrift.

"The Imperial Council?" she asked.

"Dead." Detmer pursed her lips. "What are your orders, Inquisitor? Or -- your Majesty?"

She couldn't be emperor. She didn't deserve it. The power would suffocate her. 

But who else was there? She went through her mental catalogue, again, and came up with the same answer as always: no individual Terran was capable of replacing Georgiou. 

_But what if we weren't led by an individual?_

It was a dizzying, dangerous thought. Terrans didn't cooperate. Appointing multiple leaders was inviting civil war. 

But if she chose them carefully -- persuaded them that stability and collaboration were in their best interests… 

_Caesars_ , Kate thought. Not emperors. First among equals. 

Pike. Paris. Grayson. Kodos, maybe. And others. A temporary solution, until she found a candidate worthy of the throne. 

She wondered if Gabriel would appreciate the irony of using Federation ideals to preserve the Terran Empire. 

_The Empire might change_ , she had told Gabriel once, when he was trying to persuade her of some stupid Federation notion, _but it will endure._ And she would keep it intact: not an emperor, but an emperor-maker. 

"There's nothing we can do here," she said.

"Inquisitor?" Captain Chambers asked. "Your M--"

" _Inquisitor_ ," said Kate sharply. "Set course for Earth. Maximum warp. No cloak. If anyone threatens us, blow them out of the sky." 

"Yes, Inquisitor." 

"We have a vacuum. The faster I fill it, the smoother the transition." 

"Yes, Inquisitor." 

He clearly had questions, and was too afraid to ask them. 

Browning, as usual, had no such problem. "Transition to what, Inquisitor?" she asked. 

Kate smiled. 

"Whatever I choose," she said. 

*

She had so much work ahead of her. Long days. Little sleep. She'd need new bodyguards, good ones. She needed to prepare Browning to take over some of her duties for the foreseeable future. 

She'd have no time to miss Gabriel, to brood over what might have been. Or to wallow in her failures. 

He was alive, somewhere in the Federation. Safe. Whatever Lorca had done to Kate's counterpart, they could cling to each other and curse the Terran Empire together. Kate was never going to see him again. 

And she had a job to do.

_end_

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks, again, to Nonelvis for her beta reading and suggestions!
> 
> Re the "prodigal daughter" line -- I deliberately chose not to think too hard about what real world religions would look like in the mirror universe, but some allusions were too good to pass up. And it took some restraint on my part to hold off from making jokes about killing the fatted Kelpien. 
> 
> Canon note: Way back in "Mirror, Mirror", Marla tells Kirk, "You could be a Caesar." Which I always thought was a really interesting and evocative title, and was slightly disappointed when canon gave us emperors instead. But then it occurred to me that the end of the Georgiou regime might be the ideal point for _someone_ to introduce a new system, a sort of interregnum until such a time as Spock takes over.


End file.
